Monday, September 13, 2010

I have just gotten comfortable enough to write about this since it happened. During the last academic year and on a beautiful, warm day I decided to pick my 4 year old (Andira) up from school early. That morning before school she had made a passing complaint that her ear hurt so at 11:20ish I showed up at school to make sure she had had and ok day. When I got there the students had just gone outside to play. I walked into the class room where I found Ms. Suzanne cleaning the tables and taking the opportunity while the children were outside to do some straightening up. I was glad to see her so I could ask about Andira’s day and her ear. Suzanne said she had a good day and had not complained about her ear at all. Relieved I started outside to see my daughter.

Andira saw me from a distance and came toward me. As I looked at her she looked a little confused or disoriented and did not greet me with nearly the same enthusiasm I was accustomed to. I would never have thought anything of it had it not been for the events that took place next.

Sensing that she needed me to I picked Andira up into my arms and began to carry her into the building. No sooner did I pick her up then she started to heave and vomited a little bit. I took her into the bathroom to assess what was going on and she assured me she was ok. I just thought maybe she was over heated.

We got cleaned up and headed for the hallway. She said she could walk and was walking to her cubby when I looked at her and saw her fall to the ground. I literally saw her twitch one arm, then the other and then all of a sudden her feet came out from under her and she landed flat on her face. As I write this I feel the panic, fear, desperation and sadness I felt at that moment. I got to her in milliseconds and scooped her up to thankfully see no blood but a huge whelp on the forehead and a face as pale as a ghost. She was conscious but appeared lethargic and weak. I immediately thought it was a food and water issue since that has happened to me many times before and I wanted to get something with sugar into her body.

As it turns out I was right and Andira has been fine ever since. Now I am just way more careful to make sure she eats and drinks something before heading off to school. I suspect that her fussiness with eating in the morning is what caused the incident that day.

All of that said can you imagine if I had not decided to go in early and check on her? There have been many occasions that I have looked back on that day in amazement at how lucky we were that she was not on a swing, standing high on a platform waiting to slide or on the monkey bars. If she had been there is not telling what kind of injuries she may have sustained.

There is nothing on earth like a mother’s intuition. Trust yours always.